Session 8: Lightning talk: Using a 3D visualisation tool to facilitate flipped classroom teaching

Abstract

This presentation will summarise an ongoing study embedded in Level 5 of the Biomedical Science undergraduate program, exploring flipped classroom teaching, supported by 3D visualisation via the ‘Anatomage’ digital dissection platform, as an alternative to didactic lecture in the teaching of histology.

The value of histology in training clinical and allied health practitioners has been acknowledged for over a century. Classically, histology was taught with students individually observing specimens using a microscope, although constraints imposed by modern cohorts relating to class size, costs and time have driven exploration into alternatives.

These typically involve replacement of ‘hands-on’ microscope time with instructor lead visualisation of tissues using images. Virtual microscopes have been widely explored as an aid for contemporary histological teaching, with comparable outcomes in student performance to traditional methods.

Typically, studies exploring alternative education approaches in histology, use clinical programs, most prolifically medical or dental undergraduate degrees. These cohorts differ significantly to Biomedical Science students in their vocational aspirations, and prior education. Nonetheless, promising findings from these studies validate this approach worthy of further investigation in Biomedical Scientist training.

This study builds on previous work proposing a blended learning approach to histology teaching using flipped classroom delivery.

The study presented herein is exploring student perception to blended learning versus traditional didactic lectures in teaching of histology in an undergraduate Biomedical Science cohort. The approach will focus on flipped classroom delivery supported by 3D dissection, this Anatomage platform is new to LJMU having been purchased in 2022.

These findings add to previous work, bringing techniques for improving quality and perception of histology typically used in clinical training, into Biomedical Science, whilst exploring the value of a novel visualisation tool for flipping a classroom.

Using a 3D visualisation tool to facilitate flipped classroom teaching PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.